Etobicoke Collegiate Institute held its annual winter concert, "Winterlude", on Wednesday, December 12, 2001.  The auditorium was packed with excited parents as they waited for their children and other participants to start the show.  They were not to be disappointed. The concert started with a performance by the Intermediate Concert Band, directed by Mr. Beatty.  Their performance was no less than stunning.  Next, the Madrigal Singers, directed by Mr. Judge, gave a spectacular performance of "Here's to Song" and set the mood for the music of the endlessly talented String Quartet.
The Intermediate Stage Band, followed by the Junior Strings, stirred the crowd with their snappy jazz-like tunes consisting of solo performances by Christine Han, Mike Pan and Tim Des Islets.
Mr. Rayner's Junior Concert Band dazzled the crowd with their performance.  The Senior Concert Band was equally impressive with their "snowy" performance--when the band broke into "Jingle Bells" an unexpected blizzard, courtesy of the stage crew, hit the stage.  Several musicians were covered with the snowy substance by the end of the song.  Preceding the Senior Concert Band were both the Senior Stage Band and Mrs. Vanneste's ever impressive Senior Strings, who sounded TSO-comparable that night.
Ryan Kasperowitsch, Graham Bishop and Justin Taylor soloed for the Senior Stage Band, while violinists Marlena Habal, and Matthew Hetherington and cellist Daniel Lee enhanced the Senior Strings with their solo performances.
The Chamber Singers and the Etobicoke Singers serenaded the crowd with their varied pieces.  Some of their key performances, such as the "Shepherd's Choir" and "White Christmas" were a huge hit with the audience.  Masrur Mahmood, Sean Haider, and Adnan Shamsuzzoha performed the dazzling solos, and Emily Harris coupled "White Christmas" with twinkling accompaniment.
"I thought the concert was great… in fact, the Senior Concert Band sounded just as good as the TSO," Mr. Ellis, Principal, stated.  Indeed, the concert was great.  When asked, each conductor thought that their group had more than lived up to what was expected of them.
"We performed very musically and beautifully, and the timing was good too," said Mr. Judge, music teacher.  "I thought everyone did more than really well."
"I think this concert was one of the best we've ever had," said Rajib Alam, a grade 12 music student.  "All the performances sounded really good!"
The evening concluded with a deafening round of applause from the very appreciative audience--an appropriate tribute to the festive spirit in which the show ended.  With the upcoming Opus concert now just four months away, students and staff alike can look forward to building on the fine example that this year's Winterlude has set.  And if Wednesday night was any indication, we should be in for quite a treat.